“I had just been introduced to the Windows 5.0 shell and its graphics-based front end for running applications,” Louie said. “Working with computers quickly became a passion for me.” Although he saw a few computer jobs posted, he didn’t qualify for them without a degree.
“At church one day, I saw an ad for a CIS degree at LDS Business College,” Louie said. “I prayed for guidance to know if this path was good for me and my desires to provide for my family.” After counseling with his wife and receiving her support, Louie moved forward. He started attending LDSBC in January 1992.
The move was a stretch. “I was balancing three jobs with full-time school, providing for a growing family, building a house, serving in my church calling, and figuring out how to pay for college,” Louie said. “At times I felt like I couldn’t keep up.”
Louie said he was an anomaly at LDSBC. “I was with a lot of young adults trying to complete their education, but I did not see many men there who also worked full-time,” he said. “I wasn’t offered any scholarships and had to obtain grants and some small student loans. I paid for my degree mainly out of my own, very shallow pockets.”
Each day, Louie would attend a religion class at 7:00 a.m., then leave to work his day job. He would return to attend more classes from 6:00−10:00 p.m. on campus. “I spent a lot of time at school and met wonderful people,” he said. “They have been very cherished friendships.”
LDSBC classes helped Louie acclimate better to the business world. “The class with the most impact was one an adjunct professor taught on databases,” Louie said. “He was passionate about his job. He taught us how to use Structured Query Language (SQL), and it came naturally to me. It fueled my fire for the next several years of my IT career as a database programmer.”
As Louie gained knowledge, he started looking for better jobs. “I remember one interview where the employer talked about an issue they were having with their network,” he said. “We were talking about the same thing at LDSBC.” Although he did not land that job it proved to him that he was indeed learning concepts directly applicable to the workforce. In May 1995, he graduated from LDSBC with an Associate of Applied Science in Computer Information Systems.
Louie is grateful to the College for teaching him how to prioritize his time. “I found the purpose in learning and how working hard would pay off,” he said. “I learned to be persistent.” He exercised persistence as he went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in Business and Information Systems and an MBA in Project Management.